industry news Top garden retailers recognised at GCA conference
• Weber Outdoor Living Award – Best Outdoor Living Retailer (Destination Garden Centre Category) – Poplars Garden Centre and Barton Grange Garden Centre
During proceedings the GCA also revealed its 10 Garden Centres of Excellence, along with other awards presented during a ceremony hosted by rugby ace and Celebrity Masterchef winner Phil Vickery.
Another successful Garden Centre Association (GCA) conference and awards dinner saw staff from garden centres across the country celebrating, as they were named best in class and recognised for stand-out customer service, catering excellence, and catering and innovation. • Christmas Competition (Garden Centre category) sponsored by Gisela Graham – Castle Gardens
• Christmas Competition (Destination Garden Centre category) sponsored by Gisela Graham – Barton Grange Garden Centre
• Environment and Community Award – Garden Wise, Dumfries
• Ruxley Rose (Garden Centre category) – Cowell’s Garden Centre
• Ruxley Rose (Destination Garden Centre category) – Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries
• Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Creativity and Innovation – Bents Garden & Home
• Customer Service Award – Best Customer Service – Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries
• The Indoor Lifestyle Award – Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer (Garden Centre category) – Bridgford Garden Centre
• The Indoor Lifestyle Award – Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer (Destination Garden Centre category) – Bents Garden and Home
• The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer (Garden Centre category) – Bridgford Garden Centre
• The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer (Destination Garden Centre category) – Haskins Garden Centre, Ferndown
• Dick Allen Award (Most Improved Garden Centre) – RHS Rosemoor Plant Centre and Shop
• The ifse Award for Catering Excellence – Best Garden Centre Restaurant (Garden Centre Category) – Fron Goch Garden Centre
• The ifse Award for Catering Excellence – Best Garden Centre Restaurant (Destination Garden Centre Category) – Poplars Garden Centre
• Weber Outdoor Living Award – Best Outdoor Living Retailer (Garden Centre Category) – Bridgford Garden Centre
Tong begins major investment plans
Tong Garden Centre is set to complete the first stage of its latest expansion with support from a seven-figure HSBC UK funding package.
The centre, which is situated between Leeds and Bradford, is expecting to complete the construction of a 4,000 sq. ft. warehouse this month. The new facility will have capacity for 400 pallets of stock and will support the business to meet growing demand both online and in store. Opening the warehouse signals the first
phase of major redevelopment since the site was acquired in 2015 that will include a new two storey building, a new plant canopy, a bespoke soft play and event space and the
development of the lakeside area with log cabins for educational and horticultural use. The investment will help to enhance the customer experience and to consolidate Tong’s position of one of Yorkshire’s leading garden centres. Andy Mears, centre manager at Tong Garden Centre, said: “Tong Garden Centre has a very special place in the hearts of the local community. Whilst we are, and always will be, a garden centre led by gardening products, we will now be so much more than a garden centre. The soft play will be a great addition to our current outdoor play facilities and the new events space offers exciting possibilities for customer events, and workshops, family experiences and community initiatives.”
The top 10 centres of Excellence in alphabetical order were: 1. Aylett Nurseries Ltd 2. Barton Grange Garden Centre 3. Bents Garden & Home 4. Burston Rose and Garden Centre 5. Haskins Garden Centre – Roundstone 6. Haskins Garden Centre – Snowhill 7. The Old Railway Line Garden Centre 8. Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries 9. Poplars Garden Centre 10. Stewarts Garden Centre – Christchurch.
Other accolades presented during the awards evening included: • Associate of the Year - Smart Garden Products
• GCA GROW Training Award - Meadow Croft Garden Centre
• The Worrall Cup (award for Best marketing campaign or initiative) - Haskins Garden Centre for its ‘Big Reindeer Giveaway’.
• Garden Centre of the Year - The Old Railway Line Garden Centre
• Destination Garden Centre of the Year - Bents Garden & Home
GCA’s Iain Wylie added: “I’d like to say a huge
congratulations to all of our ‘Garden Centres of Excellence’ winners. They have all shown immense dedication, hard work and enthusiasm and are a real credit to the horticultural industry.”
(L-r) Andy Mears, Centre Manager at Tong Garden Centre, Jamie McCullough, Relationship Director for HSBC UK, Charlie Barker, Finance Director at YGC Group
GCU January/February 2019
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